James Ford: Last News

Blur have spoken about recording their surprise new album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.The 10-track LP, was announced earlier this week and is the band’s first since 2015’s ‘The Magic Whip‘. It was produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Depeche Mode) and recorded at Studio 13 in London and Devon.Speaking in a press conference at Colchester Castle ahead of their gig at the town’s Arts Centre last night (May 19), all four members opened up about the recording process of their ninth studio album.“There were moments of utter joy,” enthused bassist Alex James. “The new song we open with [‘St Charles Square’] I just thought, ‘Oh my God, we’ve pulled it back’.

Blur are coming out with a new album this summer. The Ballad of Darren is out July 21 via Parlophone, and will be the ninth studio project from Damon Albarn and Co.

Thania Garcia Blur will be releasing their first album in eight years, “The Ballad of Darren,” later this summer, the band announced on Thursday morning. The news arrived with an early taste of the 10-song collection, a guitar-driven single titled “The Narcissist.” The album, which will be released on July 21 on Parlophone, follows their last reunion album — 2015’s “The Magic Whip” — and was produced by James Ford, who last worked with Blur’s Damon Albarn for the Gorillaz’s 2018 album “The Now Now.” “This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now,” said Albarn of the new record in a statement. Lead guitarist Graham Coxon added, “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job.”

Blur have announced details of a surprise new album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ and shared the first single ‘The Narcissist’. Check it out below.The returning Britpop legends first announced their comeback back in November with news of a huge Wembley Stadium show – before going on to reveal a second date at the venue before a run of European festival shows and an intimate UK warm-up tour,  which kicks off in their hometown of Colchester tomorrow (Friday May 19).Now, the band have revealed that the 10-track ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ will arrive on 21 July via Parlophone, and is available for pre-order here.

The Last Dinner Party have shared their highly anticipateddebut single ‘Nothing Matters’. Check it out below.The much-hyped NME 100 stars’ launch single was produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Florence and the Machine, Depeche Mode) and draws on frontwoman Abigail Morris’ operatic voice and NSFW honest lyricism.Introducing the single on Instagram, the band wrote: “Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey so far, and to anyone who is new, welcome, take a seat at the dinner party.

Jessie Ware has released a groovy new video for her latest single ‘Begin Again’ from her upcoming album ‘That! Feels Good!’.‘Begin Again’ was one of the first songs Ware wrote for her album – inspired by her time spent in South America encompassing the heat, sweat and sensuality of Brazil.“’Begin Again’ is where this album started,” said Ware. “On a miserable afternoon during lockdown, James Ford [Arctic Monkeys producer] zoomed Shungudzo and Danny Parker in Los Angeles.

James Ford has recalled his time working with Arctic Monkeys – explaining that he still tries to push the frontman out of his comfort zone.Ford was talking in a new interview when he provided insight into his time in the industry, namely, his time working alongside iconic Sheffield-band, Arctic Monkeys.Working with the indie four-piece since 2007 – when he joined them during the production process for their second album, ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ – Ford explained how his relationship with the members has developed, and how he consistently pushes frontman Alex Turner to venture into new territory.“I’ve known them so long now. I’ve been working with quite a lot of new bands … But with the Monkeys, it’s a totally different thing where there’s this deep trust that we’ve grown up together,” he told The New Cue.“Me and Alex, our music tastes have grown together, I’ve introduced him and he’s introduced me to so much different music … sometimes that’s good and bad.”He continued: “It’s a funny thing, but I still definitely try and push him as hard as I can.

Royel Otis have shared a new single – listen to the bright and summery ‘Sofa King’ below.Following recent singles ‘I Wanna Dance With You’ and ‘Kool Aid’, the track marks the third preview of the Australian duo’s forthcoming EP ‘Sofa Kings’, which will be released on March 31 via OURNESS.‘Sofa King’ arrives with an accompanying music video, which sees the band – who appeared in the NME 100 2023 – pay homage to their hometown of Sydney, as they perform the song against the backdrop of a coastal cliff.Forming in 2020, Royel Otis released debut EP ‘Campus’ the following year. Their breakout single ‘Oysters In My Pocket’ arrived in 2022, taken from second EP ‘Bar & Grill’.Speaking to NME earlier this year, guitarist Royel Maddell teased the band’s forthcoming debut album, describing how a recent UK trip saw them “speed-dating” producers, hitting the studio with Speedy Wunderground boss Dan Carey and James Ford, Arctic Monkeys’ longtime producer.

police officer who raped a girl under the age of 13 has been found guilty of 10 counts of sexual abuse against the child.James Ford, 31, even attempted to wipe his phone of all evidence of his crimes in a desperate bid to save himself.The former Hertfordshire Police officer was found guilty of four counts of rape and sexual assault, as well as two counts of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.READ MORE: Liz Truss fighting to survive as Tory MPs 'wrestle' and government turns to 'shambles'Cambridge Crown Court also found him guilty of perverting the course of public justice for his act of “deliberately wiping his phone by factory resetting his Samsung Mobile.Despite pleading not guilty, Mr Justice Simon Bryan remanded Ford in custody ahead of sentencing on Friday.He had previously served as an intervention officer from 2019 to 2021, which is when the incidents happened.He was suspended from his job in November last year. Justice Bryan said: “He is obviously going to have a lengthy custodial sentence - the sentence will be determined by me on Friday.” DI Susie Hine, who heads the child abuse investigation and safeguarding unit (Caisu) at Cambridgeshire constabulary said: “Through the victim’s powerful testimony, the jury were left in no doubt and now a predatory sex offender is behind bars.

Lily Moayeri This week, Depeche Mode’s two remaining members, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore, announced that they will be releasing a new studio album, “Memento Mori,” in the spring and embarking on a brace of tour dates next year. The announcement was made just a few months after the death of co-founding member Andy “Fletch” Fletcher’s death in May, and the pair said the album,  is a reflection on the fleeting nature of life. The tour also will be more intimate and play smaller venues than the ones the group, which first began playing stadiums in the 1980s, traditionally play. The day after the press conference, Gahan Zoomed in from Berlin to give Variety some more insight on what went into the making of Memento Mori, which was produced by James Ford (who also produced the group’s last album, 2017’s “Spirit”) Marta Salogni (Björk, Animal Collective).

Depeche Mode have announced their 15th studio album, ‘Memento Mori’, and detailed a world tour for 2023.During a press conference in Berlin today (October 4), frontman Dave Gahan and main songwriter Martin Gore previewed a piece of music from their upcoming LP, which they’ve been recording in Santa Barbara, California.The pair are due to head to New York following the event to finish working on the James Ford-produced new record.“We’re quite far into it now, the actual recording process,” Gore explained. “We’ve got all of the tracks finished for the album, without them being mixed.”Gahan said that Depeche Mode had begun writing the material “a couple of years back”, before eventually reuniting in the studio this summer.A “memento mori” is an object that’s kept as a reminder of the inevitability of death – a skull, for example.

Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall have announced details of their debut album as The WAEVE – check out new single ‘Can I Call You’ below, and watch our video interview with the duo above.The former Blur guitarist-turned-solo star and the former Pipettes member-turned-Mark Ronson collaborator and singer-songwriter first emerged as a new project back in April with the track ‘Something Pretty‘, before playing a debut London show and appearing at The Great Escape.They’ve now revealed full details of their self-titled debut album, which has been produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine, Foals) and is due for release in February 2023 via Transgressive Records.To mark the launch of the album Coxon invited NME into his house to interview The WAEVE, where they told us about their collaborative journey since they started work on the record over a year and a half ago.Asked if they’d consider themselves to be a “supergroup”, Dougall replied: “Don’t you need more than two people to be a supergroup? It’s a very strong line-up!”Coxon agreed: “I’m not sure! Those kinds of bands are put together in a different situation. The way we came together was very different.

Arctic Monkeys have shared the lead single from their upcoming album The Car. A video for "There'd Better Be A Mirrorball," directed by frontman Alex Turner, can be seen below.

Arctic Monkeys have released their first new single in four years, There'd Better Be A Mirrorball, to launch their seventh album, The Car. 

Alex Turner has shared the first details on Arctic Monkeys‘ forthcoming seventh album ‘The Car’, revealing that the band have adopted a “louder” sound this time around.As announced today (August 24), the Sheffield group will release the 10-track record on Friday, October 21 via Domino (pre-order here). It was produced by James Ford and recorded at Butley Priory in Suffolk, La Frette in Paris, and RAK Studios in London.The eagerly-awaited full-length project follows on from 2018’s divisive ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’, which featured space-age-inspired lyrics over avant-garde and largely piano-led instrumentals.Speaking in a new interview with the Big Issue, frontman Turner explained: “On this record [‘The Car’], sci-fi is off the table.

Arctic Monkeys have announced their highly-anticipated seventh studio album, ‘The Car’ – find all the details below.The Sheffield band will release the 10-track record on Friday, October 21 via Domino. You can pre-order/pre-save it here.‘The Car’ was produced by James Ford and recorded at Butley Priory in Suffolk, La Frette in Paris, and RAK Studios in London.Per a press release, the record “finds Arctic Monkeys running wild in a new and sumptuous musical landscape and contains some of the richest and most rewarding vocal performances of Alex Turner‘s career”.It’ll feature the new track ‘I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am’, which AM debuted during their show at Zurich Openair festival in Switzerland last night (August 23).Other song titles include ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’, ‘Sculptures Of Anything Goes’, ‘Jet Skis On The Moat’, ‘Body Paint’ and ‘Mr Schwartz’.

The Mirror reports that the company is already hiring a new UK team to oversee its high street comeback, four years after it closed down.The chain's Australian arm last year signed a licence agreement to bring its “digital and physical retail commerce” back to the UK after the chain fell into administration in 2018.In preparation for the comeback of the ages, it has now ramped up its recruitment and plans to relaunch the brand in the next few months.The company dates back to 1985 when it launched in the UK modelling itself as the 'world's first toy supermarket.'Sadly in 2017, the US parent company filed for bankruptcy after debts reached more than £3.5billion.A year later, the iconic toy chain collapsed, closing all of its 100 UK branches and triggering thousands of redundancies.But last year money came again as owner WHP Global signed an agreement with Toys 'R' Us Australia to lead the brand's revival in the UK.WHP Global had previously acquired a controlling interest in Tru Kids, the parent company of the Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us brands.Toys ‘R’ Us has hired senior buyer James Ford, who helped build Debenhams’ toy arm, for the core Toys 'R' Us business, while Katie Ellis, who has worked for both Toys 'R' Us and Mothercare in the past, and Argos toys buyer Lukasz Jasinski have joined the Babies 'R' US UK team.Toys 'R' Us Australia chief executive Louis Mittoni, who is spearheading the UK launch said: “I’m very excited to welcome over 100 years of retailing experience in our new team, who will lead the relaunch our iconic brand back into the UK market in the next few months."We have an amazing toy and baby buying team, which I believe is the best in the country.“With this team now in place, we’re hitting the ground

Kylie Minogue and Jessie Ware have shared a new collaboration, ‘Kiss Of Life’ – listen to the new track below.The song is taken from ‘DISCO: Guest List Edition‘, a version of Kylie’s album, ‘Disco‘, released last year featuring guest appearances and additional new songs.‘DISCO: Guest List Edition’ lands on November 12 via BMG.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are making the most out of their trip to New York City. On Friday, the couple paid a visit to P.S.

Parcels have announced details of their second album ‘Day/Night’ and shared their new single ‘Somethinggreater’.The Australian-born, Berlin-based band released their self-titled debut record in 2018 and are set to return with its follow-up in November.‘Day/Night’ is made up of “two self-contained albums” and was recorded at Paris’ La Frette Studios. It was produced by Parcels, with James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Foals) on mixing duty and string arrangements handled by Owen Pallett.The record will be comprised of 19 tracks, including previous singles ‘Free’, ‘Comingback’, and the track ‘Somethinggreater’.

A killer who tried to save a victim of the Fishmongers’ Hall terror attack has been cleared for release from prison.